This set makes use of Salamence's excellent overall stats and set of decent resistances to set up and sweep with a combination of Dragon Dance and Outrage. A +1 Life Orb Outrage is capable of 2HKOing every Pokemon in OU bar select Steel-types, such as physically defensive Skarmory. Earthquake is required to break through grounded Steel-types, such as Metagross and Heatran, who resist Outrage. Finally, Fire Blast handles Scizor, Forretress, and Skarmory, all of whom Earthquake only hits for neutral damage. Roost is also an option for recovering recoil damage from Life Orb and Stealth Rock, while also letting Salamence act as a counter (in lieu of simply a check) to Fighting- and Ground-types; however, having a way to dispose of the aforementioned Pokemon will be necessary. As for other options, Dragon Claw works well as a secondary STAB without Outrage's self-locking drawbacks, while Stone Edge OHKOes Zapdos and offensive Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage. Dragon Claw can go over either Outrage or Fire Blast, while Stone Edge should always go in the fourth slot. The given EVs ensure that Fire Blast will always OHKO 252/0 Impish Skarmory, while tying with other base 100s. The preference between Naive and Naughty comes down to whether you prefer to at least tie with revenge killing threats such as Choice Scarf Jirachi after a Dragon Dance or deal more damage to defensive walls, such as Swampert. For example, a max Attack Outrage stands at a 20% chance of OHKOing 252/252 Relaxed Swampert after Stealth Rock. When not running Fire Blast, Salamence should be given a Jolly or Adamant nature with an EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe. Life Orb is the preferred item, granting Salamence several OHKOs which it could otherwise not attain. Yache Berry can be used to survive an unSTABed Ice-type attack and net a second Dragon Dance, but there is only a .05x power difference between a +1 Life Orb and a +2 boosted attack so it's often not worth it, especially against foes without an Ice-type attack. Lum Berry can be used if status is of concern to you, taking into account Outrage's confusion-causing side effect. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This set is aimed to use both of Salamence's excelling attacking stats to break apart stall teams and should specifically be used on teams which have trouble against them. Salamence finds an easy time switching into resisted attacks, allowing it to begin firing off Draco Meteors at the opponent. Fire Blast provides Salamence with an option to hit Steel-types for super effective, while Brick Break will ensure the 2HKO on Blissey and Heatran after Stealth Rock damage. Flamethrower is an option over Fire Blast if you prefer the higher accuracy, but you will miss out on OHKOs against Celebi, Specially Defensive Skarmory, and max HP Metagross. For the last slot, Roost ensures that Salamence will stick around, while also making Stealth Rock a lesser issue. Crunch is an alternative option if you want to KO Cresselia and Dusknoir after they switch into a Draco Meteor, but it will find little use outside of that. A Rash nature and max Special Attack is recommended to allow Salamence to hit as hard as possible. 176 Speed EVs allow Salamence to outpace Adamant Lucario, making it an excellent check to it, as a +1 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed will never KO Salamence after Stealth Rock damage. The leftover EVs are placed into HP to allow Salamence to take hits better. One can feel free to experiment with different EV spreads, such as by using enough Speed to outpace Jolly Gyarados (208 Speed EVs), to suit a team's specific needs. Life Orb is a must on this set, as without it, Salamence will not attain any of the KOs mentioned. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This set trades the specific stall-breaking ability of the previous set for the ability to deal raw damage from both sides of the attacking spectrum. One will notice that this set does lack recovery and has to deal with the possibility of being stuck on Outrage, but the use of both Draco Meteor and Outrage is enough to place immediate pressure on just about every offensive team. Obviously, Draco Meteor and Outrage both provide Salamence with solid STAB, although Dragon Claw is an excellent option over Outrage should Salamence be your late game sweeper. Dragon Claw is strong enough to pick off weakened Pokemon while also 2HKOing Blissey after Stealth Rock. Earthquake is required to hit Steel-types, such as Heatran, for super effective damage, while Flamethrower takes care of foes like Scizor and Skarmory. Fire blast can be used to deal more initial damage to switch-ins, but you will fail to KO Celebi and Specially Defensive Skarmory (roughly 50% of the time in the latter's case) due to this set's lower Special Attack investment than the previous set. Roost is a possible option in the fourth slot, but you'd be better off running the previous set if longevity is your preference. The given EVs ensure that Salamence hits as hard as possible with Draco Meteor and will, at the worst, tie with other base 100s. 16 Attack EVs are recommended as they will allow Salamence to 2HKO Blissey with a combination of Draco Meteor and Outrage after Stealth Rock damage. Life Orb is a must to allow Salamence to hit as hard as possible. A Naive nature is recommended as Intimidate allows Salamence to serve as a good check to physical threats like Swords Dance Lucario. There are other alternate spreads available as well. Running 84 Atk / 216 SpA / 208 Spe with a Mild nature allows Salamence to KO Cresselia with a combination of Stealth Rock and Draco Meteor followed by two successive Outrages, as Ice Beam will fail to KO Salamence. With this spread, Salamence also outpaces Gyarados prior to a Dragon Dance. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Salamence is best known for being a fearsome and versatile attacker with both a high Attack and Special Attack stat; however, many people overlook Salamence's decent physical Defense. Coupled with Intimidate, Salamence can act as a check to the most dangerous sweepers of OU, such as Swords Dance Lucario, and even set up on them. However, this ability does come at the price of posing as a less immediate threat to the opponent, but given this set's durability, setting up with Dragon Dance should be a breeze anyways. The crux of this set is Dragon Dance, which allows Salamence to set up on resisted or weaker physical attacks and attempt to pull off a sweep. Dragon Claw and Earthquake provide Salamence with perfect coverage against everything bar Skarmory and Bronzong. Outrage is also an option over Dragon Claw if you find its power lacking. For the last slot, Roost provides Salamence with much needed longevity, making it much easier to set up and switch in more times without worrying about residual damage from Stealth Rock. The given EVs provide Salamence with maximum durability on the physical end of the defensive spectrum, while at the same time, being able to outspeed neutral base 90's, most notably Lucario. After a Dragon Dance, Salamence will also be able to outpace positively natured Choiced Scarf Heatran. An alternative spread is 192 HP / 140 Def / 176 Spe with a Jolly nature, which ensures that Salamence will outpace all base 90's, as well as Jolly Gyarados. Finally, an Adamant nature with a Life Orb can also be used, but having to recover more often might serve as a liability to some. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This set aims to take full advantage of Salamence's versatility and superb mixed base attacking stats. It seeks to lure in physically defensive Pokémon that would be called upon to counter a standard Dragon Dancer, such as Hippowdon and Swampert, and slam them with a surprise special attack, freeing Salamence to use Outrage on a more susceptible target. Furthermore, this set aims to rectify the common problems that halt a Salamence sweep, be it MixMence's relative incapability of damaging special walls without predicting a switch in, or the Dragon Dancer's difficulty with taking on more physically defensive Pokémon. The most effective tactic when using this set is to Dragon Dance right off the bat, boosting the power of Outrage and allowing you to outspeed normally faster threats. From this point, one should choose the appropriate move depending on the opponent's reaction to Salamence. Draco Meteor will do huge amounts of damage to various physical walls, and having seen Dragon Dance, the likes of Gyarados, Hippowdon, and Swampert will be taken completely by surprise from your strong special attack. Blissey is highly unlikely to switch into a Salamence with a Dragon Dance under its belt, so your special attack should hit its mark, enabling you to use Outrage freely once the initial counter is removed. One of the best advantages of this set is that Salamence will not be forced to Outrage immediately after having Danced up, meaning the common strategy of letting it "Outrage into a Steel" is rendered ineffective. The last slot is dedicated to a coverage move to help out against the Steel-types that resist Salamence's Dragon attacks. While Fire Blast may seem like the superior choice here at an initial glance, Earthquake will generally provide Salamence with stronger and more consistent damage. The majority of the time, Salamence will find itself having Dragon Danced and Draco Meteored once already when it comes face to face with an opposing Steel-type, meaning attacking from a +1 Attack stat as compared to a -2 Special Attack stat is far more effective, not to mention that it gives Salamence a way of dealing with Heatran. However, this does leave Salamence with the problem of not being able to hit Skarmory and Bronzong for neutral damage. Running a positive Attack nature will ensure you make the most of Salamence's naturally high Attack stat, and allows it to sweep very easily with Outrage after a Dragon Dance. Max Special Attack with a neutral nature guarantees OHKOs on max HP Zapdos and min HP Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage. 176 Speed EVs hit 280 Speed, allowing Salamence to serve as a reliable check against Adamant Lucario and non-Scarfed Heatran before using Dragon Dance, while also allowing it to outspeed Scarfed versions of said Heatran and everything slower after boosting its own Speed. A Naive nature can be run on this set if you so wish; you will lose power on Outrage but will be able to Speed tie with 90 base Speed Pokémon and outspeed Timid Scarf Rotom-H after a Dragon Dance. Notably, a Naive nature and a Dragon Dance will still OHKO the standard 148/252 Calm Blissey with Outrage assuming Stealth Rock is on the field. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Although normally of the Dragon Dance variant, Salamence can equip a Choice Band for the ability to deal immediate damage in exchange for being able to switch between attacks and raise its Speed. With a Choice Band equipped, Salamence can catch usual counters to the Dragon Dance set, such as Swampert and Hippowdon, off guard. Outrage is a given for its ability to hit everything but Steel-types for neutral damage. Earthquake and Fire Blast complement Outrage by hitting all of the Steel-types which resist Outrage for super effective. For the last slot, Dragon Claw is a nice STAB alternative to Outrage early game, as you won't have to worry about getting locked in. Stone Edge works great if you need to dispatch of Flying-types, such as Zapdos and Gyarados, while Aqua Tail hits bulky Ground-types such as Hippowdon and Gliscor for super effective damage. Really, any combination of the given attacks work here, depending on what you'd like Salamence to beat one-on-one for your team. A Naive nature is used to get the jump on neutral Speed-natured base 100 Pokémon and positive Speed natured base 90s, while not weakening the power of Fire Blast; although Naughty is still a viable option to increase Salamence's Attack to guarantee 2HKOs on bulkier Pokémon, such as Hippowdon. Alternatively, you can run a nature that does not affect your defenses and simply opt for Fire Fang. Maximum Attack and Speed should be rather obvious, while the small investment in Special Attack guarantees Salamence 2HKOes 252 HP / 0 SpD Bold Celebi with Fire Blast after Stealth Rock damage. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Salamence boasts extraordinary offensive prowess on both ends of the attacking spectrum, but its Speed sometimes falls short of what is necessary, so a mixed Choice Scarf set is natural. Such a Salamence is well-suited for sweeping late-game, when most opposing Pokémon are weakened; Outrage is perfectly tailored for cleaning up, and Earthquake and Fire Blast ensure that no Pokémon is capable of resisting Salamence's attacks. Hydro Pump rounds out this set nicely considering it easily 2HKOes Hippowdon, Donphan, and Gliscor, Pokémon that would otherwise give this set problems. Draco Meteor is usable over another move, likely Hydro Pump. Maximizing Salamence's Attack gives it just enough power to 2HKO all Vaporeon after integrating Stealth Rock damage and Leftovers recovery. The 176 Speed EVs result in 280 Speed, outrunning all base 90 Speed Pokémon not possessing a Speed-boosting nature, and Timid Heatran along the way. The remainder is invested in Special Attack to provide a boost to Fire Blast and Hydro Pump, though it doesn't convert any significant 3HKOs into 2HKOs or 2HKOs into OHKOs. Another option is simply to run max Attack and Speed along with a Naive nature, in the case you'd rather at least speed tie with Scarfed base 100's. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Although relatively uncommon nowadays, this set has the potential to use surprise factor as a way to form holes on the opponent's team. Draco Meteor is Salamence's most powerful special attack, being able to deal a large amount of damage to even Steel-types, like Scizor (which, in fact, has a chance of being 2HKOed after Stealth Rock damage). Dragon Pulse provides Salamence with an alternative STAB without the power-dropping effects of Draco Meteor and can be used in the late-game when Salamence has a chance of sweeping. Flamethrower and Hydro Pump provide Salamence with great coverage; the former hits Steel-types for super effective while the latter takes care of Heatran. The given EVs allow Salamence to hit as hard as possible while outspeeding dangerous threats like Lucario. The remaining EVs are placed into Defense rather than HP so Salamence can switch in with Stealth Rock on the field a maximum of four times. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
In contrast to the other sets, which focus on sweeping, this particular Salamence focuses on supporting your team while taking hits from the likes of Lucario and other Fighting-types. Both Wish and Toxic make Salamence a team player, both of which will allow the rest of your team to outstall the opponent (depending on your strategy). The rest of the given options require little explanation. Roost provides Salamence with instant recovery, allowing it to switch in more freely. Both Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse provide Salamence with a solid Dragon-type STAB move; the former's stat-lowering side effect should be noted however, as Salamence may be forced to switch out after attacking. Flamethrower provides Salamence with a way to take out Steel-types, bar Heatran. Earthquake is also an option over Flamethrower, but giving Skarmory a free switch-in often proves more lethal than with Heatran. The given EVs provide Salamence with optimum defensive capabilities, while at the same time being able to outpace Adamant Lucario. Outspeeding Jolly Lucario will require 176 Speed EVs. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
As a Dragon Dancer, Salamence is normally outclassed by Rayquaza. However, when used alongside Rayquaza, Dragon Dance Salamence can be a powerful asset in the Uber metagame. Dragon Dance Salamence's main advantage over Garchomp as a Rayquaza partner lies in the Speed boost that Dragon Dance gives it. Unlike Garchomp, Salamence will outspeed and OHKO Pokémon such as Mewtwo, Darkrai, and Choice Scarf Kyogre after one turn of set-up. Although Salamence may not be as powerful as Rayquaza, Outrage will still do a huge amount of damage to any Pokémon that doesn't resist it. After one Dragon Dance, Salamence with Life Orb will always OHKO Shaymin-S, Darkrai, offensive Mewtwo and max HP Kyogre with Outrage. A +1 Outrage will also deal 79.13% - 93.5% to 112 HP Groudon, and 54.95% - 64.85% to an Impish Groudon with max HP and max Defense. Even the standard max HP / 64 Defense Timid Lugia, which normally gives Salamence trouble, suffers 71.4% - 84.4% from a boosted Outrage (approximately a 20% chance to KO after Stealth Rock damage and Leftovers recovery). Earthquake's main purpose is to hit grounded Steel-types, such as Dialga and Metagross, harder than Outrage would. A boosted Earthquake always OHKO max HP Metagross and min HP Dialga, after Stealth Rock damage; however, a max HP Dialga will be OHKOed by a +1 Earthquake around 92% of the time after it takes Stealth Rock damage. The final moveslot is a choice between Fire Blast and Flamethrower. Even with a Special Attack reducing nature, Fire Blast will deal 88.02% - 104.19% to a specially defensive Skarmory in the sun. If you only wish to OHKO Scizor and Forretress in the sun (or 2HKO them in the rain), then Flamethrower is a fine choice for its perfect accuracy. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Unlike the last set, this set puts Salamence in the role of helping Rayquaza sweep. Salamence may seem outclassed as a mixed attacking partner for Rayquaza when compared to more powerful wall breakers, such as Dialga and Palkia, but Salamence sports two key advantages over them. First, since Dialga and Palkia's most common sets are either pure special attackers or Choiced sets, Pokemon such as Wobbuffet and Blissey - who give Rayquaza no problems - may switch in. On the other hand, Salamence is treated similarly to Rayquaza, which allows it to badly damage Rayquaza's counters. Unlike Garchomp, Salamence is capable of harming Rayquaza's checks without a turn of set up. The other big selling point of mixed Salamence as a Rayquaza partner is Dragon Dance, which can allow Salamence to sweep a weakened team later in the match. While Salamence's base 110 Special Attack may seem meager when compared to the more powerful Dragon-types of Ubers, Draco Meteor still does a huge amount of damage to any Pokémon that doesn't resist it (with the exception of Blissey). For example, max HP Groudon (a common Salamence switch-in) will take 71.29% - 84.16% from Draco Meteor, allowing Rayquaza to possibly sweep due to Groudon either being 2HKOed by Salamence, or being put into the KO range of Rayquaza's attacks. Draco Meteor will also OHKO several common Choice Scarfed switch-ins that expect Salamence to use Dragon Dance, such as Darkrai, Garchomp and Shaymin-S (around 87% of the time without Stealth Rock). Finally, Draco Meteor will have around a 53% chance to OHKO 4 HP Mewtwo after it takes Stealth Rock damage. Fire Blast is Salamence's main move against the Steel-types that resist Draco Meteor - in the rain, only the most specially defensive Scizor will survive Fire Blast while Forretress will take 83.62% - 99.44%. In the sunny weather, Fire Blast will OHKO Scizor, Forretress, Metagross, Skarmory, and even 2HKO Groudon. Outrage is Salamence's physical move of choice, as it will still do a large amount of damage despite the minimal Attack investment. Outrage is Salamence's best move against Blissey, dealing 66.41% - 78.22%. Outrage is also important for its ability to KO many important Pokémon after they take damage from Draco Meteor. For example, the standard Bold Max HP Lugia with 52 Defense EVs is KOed by a combination of Draco Meteor and Outrage around 98% of the time after factoring in Stealth Rock damage and Leftovers recovery. Additionally, Ho-Oh, maximum HP Kyogre, minimum Special Defense Dialga and Calm Wobbuffet (after Stealth Rock damage) are KOed by Outrage after switching into Draco Meteor. Be warned though, Draco Meteor plus Outrage will only have around a 58% chance and 57% chance to KO specially defensive Dialga and Bold Lugia with maximum HP and maximum Defense respectively after Stealth Rock. Team Options & Additional Comments >>>Salamence's Quirks in UbersWhile Salamence's playstyle is very similar to Rayquaza's, it does have a few differences that both help and hinder it. As mentioned before, Salamence is slightly faster than Rayquaza, sitting at base 100 Speed as opposed to base 95. This affects how Salamence deals with 3 Pokémon. First, it allows Salamence to outspeed Rayquaza. Secondly, a +Speed Salamence will always outspeed Bold Lugia, meaning that Salamence can potentially pick off a weakened Lugia more easily than Rayquaza (who has to rely on the weaker ExtremeSpeed). The third and biggest advantage of Salamence's base 100 Speed is its ability to speed tie with Palkia. While a 50% chance to destroy Palkia might not seem like much, this means that Choice Scarf Palkia and Choice Scarf Jirachi aren't as reliable as revenge killers for Dragon Dance Salamence as they are for Dragon Dance Rayquaza. One of the biggest quirks that sets Salamence apart from Rayquaza is its ability: Intimidate. While the Ubers metagame is usually based around special attacks, Intimidate is notable for being able to act as an emergency stop to several physical sweepers if used correctly. Note that most of the time, using Intimidate to stop sweepers will result in Salamence being severely damaged or KOed. Despite this setback, using Intimidate like this can change the outcome of the match. A good example of Intimidate's usefulness is against Lucario and Jolly Swords Dance Rayquaza. After a Swords Dance and Intimidate, Adamant Lucario will never be able to KO Salamence with ExtremeSpeed after Stealth Rock (dealing 60.42% - 71.3%, so be warned, Salamence will be KOed by Life Orb recoil after Stealth Rock), while Salamence can OHKO Lucario with Fire Blast or Earthquake. After a Swords Dance and Intimidate, Jolly Rayquaza will have a 46.15% chance to OHKO Salamence after Stealth Rock damage, giving Salamence a small chance to defeat it in exchange for getting KOed the next turn by Life Orb recoil. However, there is a dark side to Intimidate. Since Salamence doesn't have Air Lock, the weather can effect Salamence in negative ways. The most common example is the rain. Since the rain will lower the power of Salamence's Fire-type attacks, it will have a harder time dealing with Skarmory and Bronzong. Salamence is also unable to set up on RestTalk Kyogre with Calm Mind due to the rain. Generally, Salamence will prefer sunny weather to rainy weather. Although Salamence dislikes sandstorms, it does provide one significant benefit: with the sandstorm damage factored in, Timid Lugia will be KOed by a +1 Life Orb boosted Outrage around 74% of the time after Stealth Rock damage. Something to note about Salamence is that when the opponent sees it in Ubers, they will usually assume that you are carrying Rayquaza as well. Because of this, it's often best to keep Salamence hidden until Rayquaza has done a significant amount of damage to the opponent's team. This isn't usually possible for mixed Salamence, thus it is often best to take advantage of your opponent's knowledge. For example, try to predict when they predict a Rayquaza switch-in, and instead switch in a Pokémon to take advantage of their reaction to Rayquaza. Another good example is to carry a Pokémon that can set up on Rock- and/or Dragon-type attacks. This is because often times, weakened Groudon will predict your Wobbuffet to be attempting to set up Rayquaza, and thus you may Encore Stone Edge or Dragon Claw instead of Earthquake. Team OptionsOUAs with most other sweepers, Salamence greatly benefits from entry hazards, which allows it to net specific KOs it would otherwise miss. Stealth Rock is the most vital here, while at the same time being the easiest to set up. To note some examples, Stealth Rock ensures that Salamence will OHKO Gyarados and Zapdos with a +1 Life Orb Outrage. Many Pokemon are capable of laying down Stealth Rock, so it mainly depends on the type of team you are running. Aerodactyl works great on hyper offense teams, while Swampert and Metagross are more suitable for defensive or balanced teams. Spikes and Toxic Spikes should be considered as well, primarily because they help weaken bulky Water-type switch-ins. Both Skarmory and Smeargle are among the best Spikers in OU, while Roserade makes a reliable Pokemon for laying down Toxic Spikes. Finally, dual screens may help in easing set-up. Azelf and Metagross are capable of setting them up fairly easily. Arguably, Stealth Rock is the biggest threat to Salamence, as it chips away 25% of its health each time it switches in. With both sandstorm and Life Orb chipping away at its health, Salamence can faint pretty quickly. For this reason, Rapid Spin should always merit a consideration on a team featuring Salamence. Two Pokemon for this role come to mind: Starmie and Forretress. Both Pokemon complement Salamence by covering its Ice-type weakness, with the latter also covering Salamence's Dragon-type weakness. Although Ghost-types can get in the way of pulling off a successful spin, both Starmie and Forretress have a way to weaken the most common ones you'll encounter (i.e. Rotom-A and Gengar). By running a Life Orb, Starmie will always 2HKO Rotom-A and OHKO Gengar with Hydro Pump. On the other hand, Forretress can weaken Rotom-A and Gengar with Payback, making sure to avoid a Will-O-Wisp and Hidden Power Fire from both, respectively. Salamence will have trouble sweeping past Steel-types, particularly because they can come in while it's locked into Outrage and either KO it or phaze it out and force it to take more Stealth Rock damage upon switching back in. Magnezone is a reliable partner for eliminating every Steel-type bar Heatran, Lucario, and some variants of Metagross; if equipped with Choice Scarf, Magnezone can even revenge kill Lucario if needed. Since Salamence focuses on wearing down the opponent's team if it doesn't manage to sweep itself, a lategame sweeper should be paired with the more offensive sets. Life Orb Gengar manages to pull off an easy sweep after Scizor and Metagross have been sufficiently weakened. Other sweepers, such as Swords Dance Lucario, can set up on the usual Dragon- or Ice-type attacks used to revenge kill Salamence and proceed to sweep. Defensively, Salamence struggles against Dragon-, Rock-, and Ice-type attacks, which hit it for super effective damage. As such, Steel-types make the best partners for this set in the given department, as they resist all three of the listed types of attacks. Jirachi packs great base 100 defenses to repeatedly switch into such attacks, while also being able to take down opposing users of the move with its great availability to attacks, such as Iron Head and Ice Punch. Jirachi can also lure in Steel-types and KO them with Fire Punch, or if you wish to take a more defensive route, it can also pass Wishes to Salamence sets lacking Roost. Salamence, in return, can switch into the usual Ground- and Fire-type attacks aimed at Jirachi. Aside from Steel-types, Salamence will also have trouble against Mamoswine and Weavile, since both have Ice Shard to bypass any boosts Salamence might have and promptly KO it. Choice Band Scizor pairs well with Salamence both offensively, weakening usual Salamence checks with U-turn, and defensively, covering Salamence's Ice- and Dragon-type weaknesses, and can KO both Mamoswine and Weavile with a Technician-boosted, STAB Bullet Punch. Cresselia, a Pokemon which counters Salamence in its entirety, can be beaten Scizor's U-turn or Pursuit. Most of Salamence's usual checks, ranging from Scizor to Swampert, are paired with Dragon-types such as opposing Salamence and Latias. Salamence itself can take them out with a STAB Draco Meteor or Outrage, but carrying a Scizor of your own serves as a good check to prevent both from sweeping should Salamence faint. UbersOne particular Pokémon that should be on almost all Salamence + Rayquaza teams is Wobbuffet. Wobbuffet is able to aid both of their set ups via the use of Encore and will also eliminate most Choice Scarf users that can be a problem. Although a niche Pokémon in the Ubers metagame, Magnezone can be helpful to Salamence and Rayquaza by eliminating the Steel-types that can switch into their Dragon-type attacks. Magnezone will also lure in Fire-, Ground- and Fighting-type attacks for Salamence and Rayquaza to switch into. Groudon is useful for its ability to cause eternal sunshine, which is the more favorable weather for Salamence due to its boost to Fire Blast's power. Be warned, however, as this will have the side effect of making half your team weak to Ice-type attacks! When using Salamence and Rayquaza together, Stealth Rock is almost necessary. This is because both Salamence and Rayquaza rely on Stealth Rock to gain several KOs, depending on the set. The pair is also weak to Stealth Rock, so it may prove useful to keep it off the field. Forretress stands out as an excellent choice here. Steel-types already make a great partner to Salamence and Rayquaza, and Forretress can use Rapid Spin to keep Stealth Rock off the field. Another strategy is to keep Stealth Rock from ever being used in the first place. Choice Scarf Shaymin-S is an option here, however you again leave yourself vulnerable with 4x Ice weaknesses on half of your team. Choice Scarf Darkrai can put Deoxys-S and Deoxys-A to sleep before they set up Stealth Rock. Yet take care, as many Dialga and Groudon leads will carry a Chesto Berry to ensure that they either lay down Stealth Rock or paralyze Darkrai. Deoxys-S is the fastest user of Taunt in the game and thus can help out Salamence and Rayquaza by stopping the Stealth Rock attempts of slower leads. Deoxys-S is also a good user of Stealth Rock and can viably use Spikes if a Ghost-type is present on your team, although it should be noted that the best offensive Rapid Spin blocker, Giratina-O, shares weaknesses with Salamence and Rayquaza. There are several Pokémon that, while not being able to check Salamence and Rayquaza, will pose a threat to your team if you don't get the chance to set up. The biggest issue by far is Mewtwo. Mewtwo will outspeed and OHKO both Rayquaza and Salamence with Ice Beam if you have not attained a Dragon Dance. Mewtwo will become even more of an issue if you are using Wobbuffet, because Mewtwo can set up on it with Taunt and Calm Mind. Latias, Latios and Garchomp that lack Choice Scarf are going to be problems as well, because they all outspeed Salamence and Rayquaza, and will OHKO both with their STAB Dragon-type attacks. Life Orb Gengar will also outspeed Salamence and Rayquaza, and OHKO both with Icy Wind. While mixed Palkia must risk a speed tie against Salamence, it will cause problems if it KOs Salamence. Because of these problems, Scizor makes a great teammate for both Salamence and Rayquaza. Scizor will be able to switch into Mewtwo's Ice Beams, Latias and Latios' Dragon-type attacks, and Gengar's Icy Wind. Scizor can then deal a large amount of damage to Mewtwo, Latias, and Latios with Pursuit as they flee, and crush Gengar with Bullet Punch. However, be wary of Fire-type attacks. Max HP Metagross can be a good alternative to Scizor because it is able to survive most Fire-type attacks in the rain. Choice Scarf Metagross can also be used to switch into Garchomp's Outrage and OHKO it with Ice Punch. A Careful Choice Band Tyranitar is particularly notable for being one of the most reliable users of Pursuit to beat Latias and Latios with, as only Grass Knot from Latios is guaranteed to 2HKO Tyranitar. However, the sandstorm can be a nuisance to Salamence, so carrying Kyogre and/or Groudon is recommended. Kyogre will usually be able to defeat Mewtwo (as long as it lacks Thunder or Grass Knot) and Gengar and has the option to use Thunder Wave to paralyze Latias, Latios and Palkia switch-ins. Although it's risky to use another Pokémon weak to Dragon- and Ice-type attacks, Latias and Latios are very good at revenge killing Palkia and Garchomp that lack Choice Scarf. In Ubers, there are two main walls that give both of these Salamence sets problems: Timid Lugia and Cresselia. Timid Lugia will survive any of Mixed Salamence's assaults and then OHKO with Ice Beam. Timid Lugia will also defeat Dragon Dance Salamence as long as it is at near full health (taking 71.4% - 84.4% from a +1 Outrage, around a 79.5% chance of surviving after Stealth Rock damage and Leftovers recovery). Cresselia is able to survive any sort of attack from Salamence and then OHKO it with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock damage. Wobbuffet is a great partner for Salamence and Rayquaza in this case. Wobbuffet is able to use Encore to make both Lugia and Cresselia set-up bait for your other sweepers. If your Wobbuffet is carrying Tickle, it can be paired with a Pursuit user such as Scizor to eliminate Lugia and Cresselia from the battlefield. Scizor itself can switch into Cresselia with ease and then threaten to do a huge amount of damage to it with U-turn. Mewtwo is capable of using Taunt and Calm Mind to set up on both Lugia and Cresselia. In a similar manner, Darkrai can use Dark Void to put Lugia and Cresselia to sleep and threaten a sweep with Nasty Plot. Kyogre has no problems switching into Lugia and Cresselia's Ice Beams, and can threaten to smash them with its powerful, rain-boosted STAB Water-type attacks. Salamence and Rayquaza will have problems with 3 priority users. The most common problem is Scizor. While Scizor is unable to OHKO either Salamence or Rayquaza, it's notable for its ability to pick both off when they are weakened. Scizor's Choice Banded Bullet Punch will always 2HKO both Salamence and Rayquaza after Stealth Rock damage, and Scizor can use its Dragon-type resistance to switch in on Outrage. Although uncommon, both Weavile and Mamoswine have the potential to be huge problems for Salamence and Rayquaza due to their STAB Ice Shard. Mewtwo makes a superb Scizor lure, as it can use Flamethrower and Fire Blast and also has the option of using Aura Sphere to revenge kill Mamoswine and Weavile. Dialga is notable for having a resistance to Bullet Punch and a neutrality to Ice Shard, and can fry both Scizor and Mamoswine with Fire Blast. Dialga also has the option of equipping a Choice Scarf to revenge kill Weavile. In a similar manner, Kyogre resists both Ice Shard and Bullet Punch. Kyogre can crush Scizor and Mamoswine with its insanely powerful Surfs and like Dialga, can equip a Choice Scarf to revenge kill Weavile. A Scizor of your own is capable of switching into Weavile and Mamoswine's Ice Shard and can smash them with Bullet Punch. Like Scizor, a Choice Scarf Jirachi can easily switch into Ice Shard and ram Weavile and Mamoswine with Iron Head. Since Salamence and Rayquaza share each other's weaknesses, this means that your team will at least have two weaknesses to Rock-, Dragon- and Ice-type attacks. This makes it almost required to have a Steel-type partner. Bronzong, Scizor and Forretress are all great choices for this role. They resist Ice- and Dragon-type attacks (Bronzong in particular also resists Rock-type attacks), while Salamence and Rayquaza resist the Fire-type attacks aimed at them. Jirachi and Metagross are also superb teammates, as they resist all of Salamence and Rayquaza's weaknesses, and in return, Salamence and Rayquaza can switch into Ground- and Fire-type attacks. While Kyogre doesn't resist Dragon-type attacks, it does sport a useful Ice-type resistance and can lure in Grass-type attacks for Salamence or Rayquaza to switch into. Groudon provides a Rock-type resistance, and like Kyogre, can lure in Grass-type attacks for Salamence or Rayquaza to switch into. Dialga provides a Rock-type resistance, and it can lure in Fighting- and Ground-type attacks for Salamence or Rayquaza to switch into. Other OptionsOUYache Berry is a viable option on the Dragon Dancer, but Dragonite makes better use of it with his superior defenses. You should also note that a Life Orb paired with a single Dragon Dance is effectively a 1.95x boost. Switching to Yache Berry to get an extra Dragon Dance (a 2x boost) gives only a marginal gain in attacking power; the extra Dragon Dance is really only useful to get more Speed. You can run Aerial Ace if you really hate Heracross, but it's largely unneeded. The 100 Base Power Dragon Rush may be appetizing, but its 75% accuracy sure isn't. There are plenty of move combinations and EV spreads that Salamence can use with a Choice Scarf, be it all physical, special or mixed; however, the given Choice Scarf set it probably your best option if you want to make good use of the item. UbersSalamence has access to one move that sets it apart from Rayquaza: Roost. Roost can be used on a mixed Salamence set to restore its health on Pokémon it may force out, or on Pokémon that do little harm to it (such as Forretress without Explosion or Skarmory). This can be especially useful against stall teams, who sometimes rely on Stealth Rock damage to wear down Salamence. There are two main issues with Roost though. First of all, Roost can be hard to find time to use, as Salamence must often predict a switch to use it. Secondly, Roost does not pair well with Outrage. When Salamence uses Outrage, it will often be revenge killed before it can find time to use Roost. It's possible to use Brick Break over Outrage for this purpose (to 2HKO Blissey), but this leaves Salamence walled by Ho-Oh. Salamence has several alternative attacks at its disposal. Stone Edge can be a good option on Dragon Dance Salamence, as a +1 Stone Edge OHKOes Timid Lugia around 87% of the time after it takes Stealth Rock damage and Leftovers recovery. Dragon Claw can be used on the Dragon Dance set to OHKO most Dragon-types without being force to lock Salamence into Outrage. In a similar manner, Crunch can be used to OHKO Mewtwo after a Dragon Dance. Hydro Pump can be used on mixed Salamence to 2HKO Skarmory, Forretress, Scizor and Metagross in the rain if you must have Kyogre on your team. Hydro Pump will also OHKO Heatran in the rain. If your team has problems with stall, Draco Plate or Dragon Fang can be a reasonable option on mixed Salamence, though it will lose out on a few KOs. Both Yache Berry and Haban Berry are reasonable items to use on Salamence, but Rayquaza is often better off using them, as Salamence prefers the added power of Life Orb. EVsOUDue to Salamence's stat distribution and Intimidate, he can really be EVed to accomplish just about anything. For the more complicated spreads, you'll want to use what was recommended prior to accomplish the specific goals listed. Generally speaking, you'll want to either pump Salamence's offenses or play up its defenses to capitalize on Intimidate. Generally, you'll either want to run a Speed stat of 280 to outpace Adamant Lucario or a max Speed stat of 328 to tie with +Speed base 100's. Running a neutral nature with max Speed is also acceptable on the Dragon Dance sets, but automatically losing to Choice Scarf Jirachi is not worth it on the long run, so a lower (or higher) Speed stat is preferred. UbersWhen using Salamence in Ubers, always use a +Speed nature and 252 Speed EVs. This is because Salamence must outspeed Jolly Rayquaza. This will also allow Salamence to speed tie with Palkia, giving Salamence a chance to beat what is otherwise a problem for Rayquaza. On the Dragon Dance set, Jolly is the preferred nature, as the Fire-type attacks are mainly used for Scizor and Forretress. On the mixed set, Salamence prefers a Naive nature with max Special Attack and 4 EVs into Attack. The reason Salamence prefers Naive over Hasty is because not only will this allow Salamence to take less damage from Scizor's Bullet Punch, but it will also let Salamence take advantage of Intimidate better. OpinionOUSalamence is arguably one of the biggest threats in DPP, since it can hit very hard from both ends of the spectrum without needing to set up. There is literally no counter to Salamence until you know its moveset, and even then it can be a challenge to take. Its versatility makes it a fantastic early, mid, and lategame Pokémon as well, which is not something you can say about a lot of Pokémon. If you use it wisely, Salamence should win you a lot of battles; however, it's not without its faults. You will have to account for both Stealth Rock and sandstorm since non-Leftovers Salamence will take a minimum 31.25% damage from both (combined) every time it switches in, and this is assuming it is untouched by your opponent's Pokémon. More often than not, residual damage will be Salamence's worst enemy. UbersUsing Salamence in Ubers may seem odd, as it's mostly outclassed by Rayquaza. However, Salamence has one big selling point in the Ubers metagame: when paired with Rayquaza, Salamence and Rayquaza can form an effective offensive partnership that is almost impossible to counter. This strategy is not without its drawbacks though - since Salamence and Rayquaza have the same typing, this means that your team will have at least two Rock-, Ice- and Dragon-type weaknesses. Due to this fact, Salamence can not just be thrown in any team, it should be paired with Rayquaza and have a team centered around covering their drawbacks. Even though Salamence is mostly outclassed by Rayquaza, do not let this fool you into thinking that it is not a threat. Salamence is still very capable of tearing its opponents to shreds in the Ubers metagame, whether its with its Dragon Dance set or its mixed set. Overall, Salamence is an unorthodox yet deadly Pokémon in Ubers. CountersOUSalamence is one of the few Pokémon which lack definitive counters, given its ridiculous versatility and ability to attack from both sides of the spectrum. Nevertheless, your best bet against it is to let it take residual damage by forcing it to switch out or simply revenge killing it after it has locked itself into Outrage. Undoubtedly, the best initial switch-ins are Steel-types since they resist both Draco Meteor and Outrage. Choice Band Scizor can switch into everything but Fire Blast and deal upwards to 67% with Bullet Punch (which will KO Salamence after a switch-in into Stealth Rock and one turn of Life Orb recoil). Choice Scarf Jirachi functions in the same way, given it can KO Salamence with Ice Punch after Stealth Rock damage, but it risks the Speed tie against the Naive Dragon Dance set. Bronzong can survive any of Salamence's attacks bar two successive Fire Blasts and threaten it with Gyro Ball or Explosion. Choice Scarf Metagross and Heatran threaten the MixMence sets with Ice Punch and Dragon Pulse respectively, but are useless against the Dragon Dance sets. There are also hard counters for each set, although it should be noted said counters will lose to other variants. Hippowdon and Swampert work well against the Dragon Dance sets, as both can survive a +1 Life Orb Outrage and either phaze out Salamence with Roar or KO it with Ice Fang or Ice Beam, respectively. Vaporeon and Bold Blissey do decently against the MixMence versions, although both require Ice Beam to do anything of significance in return; Wish stalling will only work against the Roost-lacking variants. For the Choice Band and Choice Scarf sets, defensively oriented walls, such as Hippowdon, Gliscor, and most Steel-types, are your best bet, although the former two risk a 2HKO from Aqua Tail. For the bulky Dragon Dancers, they are utterly walled by Skarmory and Bronzong, and can be forced out by bulky Waters, such as Swampert and Suicune. Finally, for the FatMence set, Heatran is your best bet against it, since it resists both Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse and actually benefits from Flamethrower, not to mention it is also immune to Toxic. Ice Shard Donphan / Mamoswine / Weavile can come in if Salamence faints a Pokémon and ward it off 100% of the time, but the only one of those three that can actually switch into Salamence is Donphan, and that's only on the physical variants, preferably the Dragon Dance Salamence. This works especially well if Salamence is locked into Outrage since it will be unable to switch out. Cresselia beats all of the sets, but has seen little usage due to Scizor and Tyranitar being as common as they are. If your team cannot accommodate for carrying hard counters for the different sets, you can instead opt for a Choice Scarf revenge killer to beat Salamence. The best options for this task are Latias, Gengar, and Starmie. However, all three are massively weak to Pursuit, so having something to lure out and KO Scizor and Tyranitar is highly recommended. Generally, the best strategy is to let Salamence be worn down by residual damage, as the sets without Roost are usually the most threatening anyway. UbersSalamence's counters are extremely similar to Rayquaza's. In other words, there aren't actually many Salamence counters at all! Salamence only has two hard counters in Ubers. Cresselia is able to survive any of Salamence's attacks, and can then OHKO Salamence with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock. Timid Lugia works in a similar fashion, but it must avoid Stone Edge after a boost. Bold Lugia can defeat Dragon Dance Salamence, but it has a chance of being defeated by mixed Salamence after it takes Stealth Rock damage. Generally, the best way to deal with Salamence is to force it to use Outrage, and then switch to a Steel-type Pokémon. Scizor is one of the best choices for this, as it can 2HKO Salamence with a Choice Band boosted Bullet Punch. Metagross and Jirachi are also reasonable choices due to Ice Punch. Skarmory is particularly notable because it will usually wall Salamence in the rainy weather. Although not a Steel-type, defensive Groudon is notable for its ability to survive a +1 Outrage from Salamence. Groudon can then choose to hit it with Stone Edge or cripple it with Thunder Wave. Like Rayquaza, it's often easier to revenge kill Salamence than try and counter it. Choice Scarf Garchomp is a particularly good choice, as it outspeeds Salamence even after it uses a Dragon Dance and will OHKO Salamence with Outrage. In a similar manner, Choice Scarf users with a base Speed of over 100 and an Ice-type attack are good revenge killers. Good examples of this are Mewtwo, Darkrai, Shaymin-S and Gengar. Weavile and Mamoswine are notable for their ability to revenge kill Salamence without the use of Choice Scarf, thanks to their STAB Ice Shard. |
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